It’s not that we don’t just like the MacBook Air M2. Quite the opposite, we handed Apple’s ultraportable our Editor’s Selection award and a powerful 4.5 stars in our evaluation. It’s a improbable machine should you’re searching for a stable all-rounder and are conversant in the MacOS panorama. It’s quick, it’s highly effective, it has a powerful battery life, and is outfitted with a small, however attractive 13.6-inch Liquid Retina show — and that’s greater than sufficient for most individuals.
That being mentioned, a jack of all trades is normally a grasp of none, and this definitely applies to the MacBook Air M2. Most individuals will probably be advantageous with this, particularly when trying on the Air M2’s not-overly-outlandish $1,199 price ticket. Nevertheless, being restricted to only 8GB of unified reminiscence and 256GB of storage is an issue that may turn out to be progressively extra obvious the longer you personal the machine.
The most effective experiences on a MacBook Air M2 come from its rather more premium-priced configurations — and should you’re keen to pay for premium you would possibly as properly put money into a tool that gives essentially the most bang on your buck or is at the least extra particularly tuned to your wants. That is why we’ve drawn up our choice of the very best MacBook Air M2 alternate options for work, play, and most versatility.
Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8)
Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) specs
CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Show: 14-inch OLED, 2.8K (2880 x 1880) @ 90 Hz
Dimension: 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 3.09 kilos
Lenovo has rebounded from the lackluster earlier iteration of the Yoga 9i to ship one of many greatest 2-in-1 laptops we’ve seen in a while. The Yoga 9i (Gen 8) is an exceptional ultralight that doesn’t slack in terms of efficiency, design, show, or sound.
Taking a look beneath the hood, on the coronary heart of the Yoga 9i is one in all Intel’s newest thirteenth Gen cell CPUs, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a lightning-fast 512GB SSD for storage. The Yoga’s Intel Core i7-1360P processor is tuned for each efficiency and effectivity which matches some strategy to clarify each its crushing efficiency in our artificial benchmark exams and its above-average 10+ hour battery life.
In terms of sound and show, the Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) isn’t any slouch both. Lenovo’s laptop computer options one of the crucial wonderful 2.8K OLED touchscreen shows you’re more likely to come throughout, with a speedy spritely 90Hz refresh fee and an unparalleled coloration depth besides. Bowers & Wilkins audio springs forth from a cleverly designed soundbar hinge to ship a soundscape most laptops can solely dream of.
Why select the Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) over the MacBook Air M2? For a real rival to the MacBook Air M2, look no additional than the Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8). Outdoors of intensive gaming, Lenovo’s ultralight can do absolutely anything, and do it in model. Not solely is the Yoga 9i (Gen 8) a extra highly effective choice when it comes to efficiency, it has the flexibility of a 2-in-1, and it’s obtainable for lower than the value of a few of the M2’s increased configurations.
Learn our full Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) evaluation.
Dell Latitude 9430
Dell Latitude 9430 specs
CPU: Twelfth-Gen Intel Core i7-1265U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Show: 14-inch, WQXGA (2560 x 1600) @ 60 Hz
Dimension: 12.2 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
Weight: 3.2 kilos
Should you’re going to spend premium ranges of money, be sure to get premium ranges of high quality. The Dell Latitude 9430 is a premium 2-in-1 that boasts a power-efficient Twelfth Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a superb battery lifetime of over 12 hours that may be charged as much as 80% capability inside simply 40 minutes. Add to this Dell’s eye-catching InfinityEdge show and you’ve got your self the whole package deal for work and residential use.
The Dell Latitude 9430 is a enterprise laptop computer at coronary heart, and there’s extra to a enterprise laptop computer than having the ability to run Excel and Phrase. Certain — you possible want these issues, however what you additionally want is the peace of thoughts of understanding all your paperwork and knowledge are safely held on your eyes solely.
To this finish, the Latitude is filled with security measures from the standard Home windows Hiya sign-in, to extra environment-conscientious options equivalent to Onlooker Safety or Look Away Detect to cover or dim your display screen primarily based on consumer conduct.
Extra superior options like Dell SafeID and SafeBIOS defend the machine on a deeper stage, however a MIL-STD 810H certification affords a powerful stage of safety in opposition to the damaging end-user (learn: you) and the potential of on a regular basis drops, shocks, and spills.
Why select the Dell Latitude 9430 over the MacBook Air M2? Certain, the MacBook Air has just a few built-in security measures like safe startup and storage choices, but it surely’s onerous to beat the multitude of ranges of safety on provide from Dell on this one. When paired with a robust Twelfth Gen Intel Core processor and the flexibility of a 2-in-1, the Latitude 9430 makes for an ultra-viable different to Apple’s ultrabook.
Learn our full Dell Latitude 9430 evaluation.
Alienware x14 R1
Alienware x14 R1 specs
CPU: Intel Core i7-12900HK
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 2TB SSD
Show: 14-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080) @ 144 Hz
Dimension: 12.7 x 10.3 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 4.1 kilos
14-inch gaming laptops have gotten more and more common as a result of their smaller dimension and portability when in comparison with the behemoth scale that a few of the greatest gaming laptops available on the market have grown to. Not solely is the Alienware x14 R1 a first-rate instance of this, but it surely’s additionally one of many greatest 14-inch laptops obtainable right this moment.
Alienware’s moveable gaming platform is powered by a mighty Intel Core i7-12900HK and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Whereas the x14’s CPU is already among the many strongest chips in Intel’s Twelfth era of cell processors. it may be overclocked to squeeze out much more efficiency if that’s what you’re searching for (and belief your self sufficient to take action.)
The x14’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU may not be top-of-the-line, however that doesn’t imply it isn’t able to some critically respectable outcomes. Pair this with Nvidia’s DLSS expertise and also you’ll nonetheless be set to take advantage of the x14’s FHD display screen and its super-speedy 144Hz refresh fee.
Why select the Alienware x14 R1 over the MacBook Air M2? Is the M2 chip able to gaming? I assume.. But when gaming is one in all your main targets in terms of selecting a laptop computer, there’s no beating the choices from both an Nvidia or AMD discrete GPU in your system in terms of graphical constancy and performance-enhancing options equivalent to DLSS and FSR in your video games.
Learn our full Alienware x14 R1 evaluation.
